For many years The Style Junkies have roamed the globe, stayed in hundreds of stylish & unique hotels and inspired lots of luxury boutique hotel lovers. After testing so many places to stay, it was time to reward and congratulate hotels that have excelled beyond the normal call of duty. So for the very first time, The Style Junkies have cherry-picked their favorites.

These most beloved hotels, which exceeded The Style Junkies’ skyscraper-high standards and expectations, are all nominated for The Style Junkies Awards 2014 in 15 different award categories, representing the hospitality trends. In each category – ranging from Healthy Hideaway to Best for bed Olympics – The Style Junkies select one award winner.

What makes a hotel a nominee? Founder of The Style Junkies Myrthe Strijbos explains: “Apart from being stylish, a hotel must be personal, authentic and unique. Furthermore, we want to feel the love, passion and pureness.” The Style Junkies Awards 2014 list is truly a global representation of the best the luxury travel world has to offer.

So whether it's the pureness of Aenaon Villas in Santorini, the small things at Babylonstoren in South Africa, the enduring excellence of Cocoa Island in the Maldives, the design of Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali or the natural beauty of Six Senses Yao Noi in Thailand, these hotels & resorts are all standouts with a wow-factor. The reason why they all deserve to be a nominee for The Style Junkies Awards 2014 and might become award winners on Monday, December 8.

Kensington Place was nominated for the award "It's the small things...". We are aboslutely delighted by the award and we pride ourselves on the small details while staying with us.

We would like to thank Myrthe & the Style Junkies team for the lovely award and we wish all the other nominees our best.

Visit The Style Junkies at www.thestylejunkies.com for more information...

Table Mountain National Park, part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, is the richest single floristic area on the planet and home to an amazing 8200 plant species. Table Mountain alone has over 1,500 species of plants, more than the entire United Kingdom.

Table Mountain is an official New 7 Wonder of Nature. Table Mountain made it to the top seven after a campaign that attracted more than 100-million global votes.

Table Mountain is old! Approximately 260-million years old. By comparison, the Andes are about 250-million years old, the Rockies are about 60-million, the Himalayas are 40-million and the Alps are 32-million years old.

You can abseil down Table Mountain under the guidance of abseiling experts.

The constellation, Mensa, was named after Table Mountain by French astrologer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1754. Lacaille studied the southern sky from the top of Table Mountain. The brightest star in the Mensa constellation is Alpha Mensae. Table Mountain is the only mountain in the world to have a constellation named after it.

]]>5 Reasons Why Table Mountain is AwesomeOur Top 5: Drinks at FiveRestaurantsActivitiesAusten JohnstonThu, 01 May 2014 08:27:03 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2014/5/1/our-top-5-drinks-at-five51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:53620047e4b07fe21eb7337bAs the city winds down, pop in to one of our favourite drink spots.&Union

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium

Publik Wine Bar

]]>Our Top 5: Drinks at FiveOur Top 5: Coffee ShopsAusten JohnstonWed, 27 Nov 2013 14:03:55 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/11/27/our-top-5-coffee-shops51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:5295fbd7e4b0b15a94f299c1In the mood for a cuppa? Try one of these great coffee 'hangouts'.Truth. Coffee Roasting

Origin Coffee Roasting

vida e caffè

]]>Our Top 5: Coffee ShopsOur Top 5: Museum and MonumentsAusten JohnstonTue, 26 Nov 2013 09:20:11 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/11/26/our-top-5-museum-and-monuments51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:5294646de4b0e7c53c003c6cWe pick five of the best museums and monuments in Cape Town.District Six Museum

Iziko South African Museum

Iziko Slave Lodge

]]>Our Top 5: Museum and MonumentsOur Top 5: Local MarketsMarketsActivitiesShoppingAusten JohnstonTue, 26 Nov 2013 08:44:19 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/11/26/our-top-5-local-markets51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:52945605e4b0f11f2015ec27Take a look at our top five local markets in Cape Town.The Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill

V&A Market on the Wharf

City Bowl Market

]]>Our Top 5: Local MarketsOur Top 5: Tours of Cape TownActivitiesAusten JohnstonMon, 25 Nov 2013 12:45:31 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/11/25/our-top-5-tours-of-cape-town51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:52933fb9e4b049dd0ca1cfe7Tour Cape Town - have a look at our top recommendations.Peninsula and Cape Point Tour

Cape Winelands Tour

City Orientation Tour

Township Tour

]]>Our Top 5: Tours of Cape TownOur Top 5: Extreme ActivitiesActivitiesAusten JohnstonMon, 25 Nov 2013 11:58:47 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/11/25/our-top-5-extreme-activites51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:529337c0e4b03c01cb171cb3Have the need for speed? Have a look at our top five adrenaline-filled
activities in Cape Town!Kiteboarding

Stevenson Gallery

The New Church

]]>Cape Town GalleriesOur Top 5: RestaurantsAusten JohnstonMon, 25 Nov 2013 08:24:18 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/11/25/our-top-5-restaurants51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:5293093fe4b0838eb29ce3f4Wining and dining - here are the best places to do it in Cape Town.Test Kitchen

Any day of the week is a hotspot for Tamboerswinkel. The decor of Tamboers Winkel makes it feel like a cozy farm kitchen, with interesting bits and bobs everywhere that can easily distract you, but remains a great conversation starter.

This little restaurant has the ability to bring strangers together with the smell of fried eggs and bacon, laughter and random banter.

Tamboerswinkel has exceptional coffee, and not to forget the home made vanilla and mixed berry ice tea that is pure heaven in a glass. To end your meal with Tamboers Winkel, you’ll definitely need to try their chocolate brownies. You’re not just going to have one – they’re crusty and the center oozes with soft chocolate.

You too can experience the sparkle of Tamboerswinkel with a mere 10 min walk down trendy Kloof Street and it's Art Galleries and Antique Stores or 2 min drive from Kensington Place.

]]>TamboerswinkelLoading BayShoppingRestaurantsAusten JohnstonMon, 18 Nov 2013 06:01:47 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/8/12/loading-bay51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:5208a0c3e4b03ad27ab67c74One of Cape Town's happiest spaces!This hip and happening little bistro located in De Waterkant, Cape Town is a 15 minute drive from Kensington Place and offers some of the best Java Cape Town has to offer.

During the day The Loading Bay serves comfort food, yes, comfort food! Everything on the menu right down to the bubbly they sell by the glass is delicious! But what The Loading Bay is really known for is their Thursday Night Burger evenings!

Although the Loading Bay is very informal, its a must see and experience for anyone visiting Cape Town.

‘Bali, bintang and surf! Known to all living the surf lifestyle as a good time. This is what brought about the concept of Latitude 33. We have found the best of everything we love from our travels and brought it together in a collaboration of food, fashion and art.’

We recently popped into Latitude 33 for breakfast on a busy Saturday morning - great atmosphere, even better breakfast (try the fish cakes with poached eggs!) and freshly brewed coffee. Afterwards be sure to pop upstairs and have a look at the very reasonably-priced items for sale.

To start off with, The White Room lives up to its name - the room is all white - floors, walls, ceilings and even the tables. Wear too much white and you'll blend right in!

Every Thursday night The White Room comes alive by using a "surprise" element and it's just phenomenal!

The 9 course menu is creating waves in the Cape Town foodie circles and it lives up to the rumours - it's Fantastic! The White Room does dinner a little differently - There is no menu. This has been replaced by is a little flip booklet on the table that you page through with every course. The booklet explains more about the course placed in front of you and gives you the instructions on either how to eat the dish and/or assemble your dish.

The presentation of the food was magnificent - prepared with so much detail and care that it feels wrong to upset the balance on your plate... Some of courses to look out for are the Pigtail Terrine, Sesame Seed Asian broth with Cod carpaccio and the tempura Oysters.

Each dish is an absolute delight! The White Room's wine list is short but great!

]]>The White Room at Dear MeBree StreetRestaurantsShoppingCobus BesterMon, 18 Nov 2013 06:01:47 +0000http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/cape-town-blog/2013/8/7/bree-street51dd416be4b080b57c2396d3:51dd562ae4b0a7b8b3a324c4:52020353e4b01c18fd16a9eaBree Street, Cape Town’s hippest and most Happening Street and is the
street that houses the best Cape Town has on offer. Bree Street, in all its
glory, is no longer known as a street, but a destination.

Image from BreeStreet.co.za

Bree Street, Cape Town’s hippest and most Happening Street and is the street that houses the best Cape Town has on offer. Bree Street, in all its glory, is no longer known as a street, but a destination.

Jason Bakery

Image from JasonBakery.com

Imagine this: Its Saturday morning, it’s one of those amazing sunshine days, that only Cape Town has to offer. The first scent is the aroma of freshly made coffee as you waddle down the street, plus you're greeted by a friendly face with the biggest smile you'll ever see at 9am, anywhere.

The blackboard behind the hatch is covered in chalk dreams - Making a decision here is always difficult. Take a seat after placing your order, and watch the friendly faces of Cape Town walk past your table as you sit on the sidewalk and enjoy the most delicious pastry, filled with eggs and chorizo. The latte you ordered a few minutes ago, is steaming away next to you.

This is no dream, it’s just Jason Bakery.

185 Bree Street

Image From Cape Town Magazine

Paul Smith

The coolest blue beacon has arrived in Cape Town, plus anyone visiting the city knows that we Cape Townians love to look good. The blue store is definitely eye catching, and you’ll have to go inside. This Paul Smith store has something for everyone (both men’s and women’s clothing), but don’t forget to appreciate it’s beauty while you shop till you drop. The walls are covered in newsprints, and in a weird way, you’ll feel right at home. Go on, kick your shopping up a notch!

Why not make it all about you...?

137 Bree Street

Photography courtesy of www.TheOrphanage.co.za

Orphanage Cocktail Bar

Trendy Orphanage Cocktail Bar is the ever so popular after work hang out for many trendy Cape Townians. Funky food thats ideal for sharing (they encourage social eating) and a decent selection of wines. Orphanage is known for their cocktails, so this is a must do when in Cape Town. When at Orphanage, be sure to take a look at the Chandelier in the entrance hall!

Go on, spoil yourself!

227 Bree Street

Bree Street is a mere 7 minute drive from Kensington Place and is a must-see experience.